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I have been thinking a lot lately about the future of British Car Forum. Some of you know, but some of you may not, that I have been running BCF for going on eight years. What you may not know is that I did not start this forum for the purpose of making money. I know some of you are probably thinking “oh yeah, right!” But it’s true. In fact, for the first several years I did not have “supporting vendors” and not only did I not solicit donations, but I would not accept them. I've never had search engine income (I hate those idiot ads all over a site). In other words, I paid for all expenses completely out of pocket.
Now I am not a very savvy mechanic when it comes to these cars (I wish I knew half what some of you know), but I felt this forum would be a good way I could use what few talents I do have (computers) to help advance a great hobby. So I like to think there are two things that make BCF a great forum: 1) the efforts I have made to operate, maintain, and continually improve the forum and 2) the fact that we have so many talented members who really know these little cars. Honestly the latter is more important to the success of BCF, but I also feel that it takes both pieces to make a truly successful forum. I’m not kidding myself, I know enough about these cars technically to be dangerous – but we have guys like Tony, Dave Russell, Nial, Hap, Scott, Reid, and many many others, who provide the real talent that makes this a great forum.
Anyone can toss up some software on a server and call it a forum, but that has never been my approach. The time and effort I’ve put into this place on a daily basis – often behind the scenes in ways most members are not aware of – amounts to a full time job – sometimes more than a full time job (why do you think I’ve made very little progress on my own cars). And if anyone thinks I’m making money hand over fist because of a few supporting vendors (who pay next to nothing compared to most advertising) and a handful of folks hosting their home page on my server, trust me, I’m not. Certainly it does help, but I assure you I have put in a lot more than I’ve made over the years in both money and time. In months that I receive more than what it takes to cover capital expenses, the amount of “income” when compared to the time I’ve put in would make prison wages seem extravagant. I can’t speak for all webmasters, but I put in a tremendous amount of time on this forum every day. Just setting up one of the Virtual Rally games, for example, takes an entire weekend, and then I provide prizes, usually paid for out of my own pocket. I think the most amazing thing I ever read (on another forum) was someone opining that “Basil just kicks back and rakes in the money.” When I read that I actually laughed outloud! I know some forums probably do make money, and some webmaster maybe do “kick back” but that is only because some forums are only a minor part of a larger business. But BCF is far from a money-making endeavor – and I’m far from a “kick back” webmaster. The few vendors I have supporting us are here because they came to me – not because I’m out actively soliciting their advertising.
However, now that I’m getting older, and retirement isn’t all that far off, I’ve found myself re-evaluating 1) whether I want to (or even can) continue BCF at all and 2) if I do continue it, how can I do so in such a way as to make it worth my continued time and effort. Basically it boils down to two options: 1) eventually shut down the forum (and no, I’m NOT going to sell it – I’ve turned down a number of offers over the years). Or 2) get serious about BCF as a business that will at a minimum provide some compensation for the time and effort that I put into this place (which some people probably don’t have a true appreciation for).
At this point in time, I have not decided which option will be best in the long term. If I do end up shutting down the forum, it will be with great reluctance and regret (like putting your favorite pet to sleep) and probably not happen until later in the year. If, however, I determine to make a go of BCF as a small business, then that would probably start sometime this summer. If I decide to make a stab at it as a business, that will not have any impact on you as a member. The look and feel of the forum would remain as it always has, but it would mean two things: I would get serious about seeking advertising revenue and thus my prices would be adjusted to reflect current market conditions. Secondly, I would get serious about the hosting side of things. Currently, I have a very small number of members who host their (non-commercial) “car-related” web sites on my servers, but this is something I have not really “pushed.” In this area, I would probably open the hosting side of things to anyone who wanted to host their site here, whether it is about cars or just a personal blog, or even a small business – as long as it was nothing pornographic or illegal. I am confident that, if you ask any of the folks currently hosting their web sites on my servers, they would tell you that the personalized service they have received from me far exceeds anything you could ever hope for from your standard run-of-the-mill hosting company. I have spent literally hours on the phone with some folks who were not “web savvy” helping them get their sites up and running…something most hosting places would never do.
But at this point in time, I am still examining my options and honestly I am in a bit of a quandary. I have really enjoyed (usually) running BCF and interacting with the many great folks who have found there way here. On the other hand, I’m not sure I can continue with BCF being mostly a money drain and a huge time drain. I am open to discussion and/or questions,
Basil
Now I am not a very savvy mechanic when it comes to these cars (I wish I knew half what some of you know), but I felt this forum would be a good way I could use what few talents I do have (computers) to help advance a great hobby. So I like to think there are two things that make BCF a great forum: 1) the efforts I have made to operate, maintain, and continually improve the forum and 2) the fact that we have so many talented members who really know these little cars. Honestly the latter is more important to the success of BCF, but I also feel that it takes both pieces to make a truly successful forum. I’m not kidding myself, I know enough about these cars technically to be dangerous – but we have guys like Tony, Dave Russell, Nial, Hap, Scott, Reid, and many many others, who provide the real talent that makes this a great forum.
Anyone can toss up some software on a server and call it a forum, but that has never been my approach. The time and effort I’ve put into this place on a daily basis – often behind the scenes in ways most members are not aware of – amounts to a full time job – sometimes more than a full time job (why do you think I’ve made very little progress on my own cars). And if anyone thinks I’m making money hand over fist because of a few supporting vendors (who pay next to nothing compared to most advertising) and a handful of folks hosting their home page on my server, trust me, I’m not. Certainly it does help, but I assure you I have put in a lot more than I’ve made over the years in both money and time. In months that I receive more than what it takes to cover capital expenses, the amount of “income” when compared to the time I’ve put in would make prison wages seem extravagant. I can’t speak for all webmasters, but I put in a tremendous amount of time on this forum every day. Just setting up one of the Virtual Rally games, for example, takes an entire weekend, and then I provide prizes, usually paid for out of my own pocket. I think the most amazing thing I ever read (on another forum) was someone opining that “Basil just kicks back and rakes in the money.” When I read that I actually laughed outloud! I know some forums probably do make money, and some webmaster maybe do “kick back” but that is only because some forums are only a minor part of a larger business. But BCF is far from a money-making endeavor – and I’m far from a “kick back” webmaster. The few vendors I have supporting us are here because they came to me – not because I’m out actively soliciting their advertising.
However, now that I’m getting older, and retirement isn’t all that far off, I’ve found myself re-evaluating 1) whether I want to (or even can) continue BCF at all and 2) if I do continue it, how can I do so in such a way as to make it worth my continued time and effort. Basically it boils down to two options: 1) eventually shut down the forum (and no, I’m NOT going to sell it – I’ve turned down a number of offers over the years). Or 2) get serious about BCF as a business that will at a minimum provide some compensation for the time and effort that I put into this place (which some people probably don’t have a true appreciation for).
At this point in time, I have not decided which option will be best in the long term. If I do end up shutting down the forum, it will be with great reluctance and regret (like putting your favorite pet to sleep) and probably not happen until later in the year. If, however, I determine to make a go of BCF as a small business, then that would probably start sometime this summer. If I decide to make a stab at it as a business, that will not have any impact on you as a member. The look and feel of the forum would remain as it always has, but it would mean two things: I would get serious about seeking advertising revenue and thus my prices would be adjusted to reflect current market conditions. Secondly, I would get serious about the hosting side of things. Currently, I have a very small number of members who host their (non-commercial) “car-related” web sites on my servers, but this is something I have not really “pushed.” In this area, I would probably open the hosting side of things to anyone who wanted to host their site here, whether it is about cars or just a personal blog, or even a small business – as long as it was nothing pornographic or illegal. I am confident that, if you ask any of the folks currently hosting their web sites on my servers, they would tell you that the personalized service they have received from me far exceeds anything you could ever hope for from your standard run-of-the-mill hosting company. I have spent literally hours on the phone with some folks who were not “web savvy” helping them get their sites up and running…something most hosting places would never do.
But at this point in time, I am still examining my options and honestly I am in a bit of a quandary. I have really enjoyed (usually) running BCF and interacting with the many great folks who have found there way here. On the other hand, I’m not sure I can continue with BCF being mostly a money drain and a huge time drain. I am open to discussion and/or questions,
Basil
